Press Release

Ignore The Siren Voices About A-Levels Getting Easier, Says ATL

14 August 2008

We should all ignore the siren voices which every year endlessly debate whether A-levels are getting easier, says Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL).  Instead, she says, we should concentrate on whether studying A-levels gives young people the skills they need and the hunger to continue learning new skills through their lives.

Dr Bousted said:  “The key debate for those who teach A-level students and undergraduates is whether the pressure on teachers and lecturers to spoon feed A-level students through exams means students fail to develop the desire to continue learning, and the skills to learn independently. 

“We urge the Government to completely rethink the current targets regime, as well as the curriculum and the current post 16 exams, to make schooling more relevant so students leave school with the skills they need and a hunger to learn.”